The RFU is lost at sea with no anchor to secure them
As an England rugby fan right now, I can’t help but feel like Brenda from Bristol.
“You’re joking – not another one!” was her fabulous aghast at Theresa May’s calling of a snap election in 2017. Voter fatigue had well and truly set into a Brexit-weary British public at that time; now, following England’s disastrous autumn, it feels like rugby fatigue has fully taken hold.
The direction of the game in this country at the moment is deeply tiresome.
Once again, we have circled back to the same old debate about Eddie Jones’s position, the merry-go-round in coaching setup and his obsession with the World Cup cycle finally set to crack with the weight of eight defeats in 2022, England’s worst year since 2008.
The rugby has at times been miserable. There has been naïve stubbornness in the face of a struggling Smith-Farrell combination, the traditionally strong scrum has failed and the attack has been intensely uninspiring, culminating in England being booed from Twickenham’s hallowed turf following defeat to South Africa.
Twickenham, meanwhile, has descended into a corporate cesspool in light of inflated ticket fees, with many of the most loyal rugby fans lost as they’re priced out their seats.
Perhaps Jones’ time has finally run its course, but what is so frustrating is not Eddie himself. Rather, it’s the RFU, whom blessed with abundant finances and an enviable talent pool have somehow to back themselves into this corner.
Following a poor Six Nations earlier this year RFU CEO Bill Sweeney insisted that Jones was the right man to take England to the World Cup, endorsing that commitment as recently as four months ago.
Yet here we are, knee-deep in another performance review with less than a year until the tournament, a defining decision still to be made.
This dithering and indecision is unacceptable. If there was a time for him to go it was after the Six Nations, but the RFU failed to check their watch. If, as they have so often professed, Jones is their man, then they ought to give him full support now rather than destabilise an already volatile situation.
Can’t wait for the RFU to continue to follow the 4 step plan from Yes Minister when it comes to Eddie Jones pic.twitter.com/2wChhC1ZJO
— Matt (@mattbrown_10) November 27, 2022
Meanwhile Sweeney, who will lead the performance review into Jones, has himself been accused of being “asleep on the job”.
In the DCMS select committee last week the RFU was roundly criticised for the collapses of Worcester Warriors and Wasps into administration earlier this year. DCMS Chair Julian Knight accused the RFU of “failure on an epic scale” and Sweeney himself of living in an “ivory tower”. Knight then told Sweeney he ought to consider the integrity of his post.
It’s in this light that the temerity of Sweeney to claim he was “really disappointed” with England’s performances this autumn given his own catastrophic failures is truly staggering, evidence of the air of arrogance and superiority in which the RFU operate.
Both the RFU and Premiership Rugby have some significant questions to ask of themselves of their past conduct and their role in moving the game forward. And yet even now, instead of focusing on tackling these internal issues, the RFU has opted to dabble in reactionary remedies.
Reports this week show that yet another raft of reforms are to be discussed in the corridors of rugby power, a ‘sin-bin power play’ in a new inter-league cup competition the latest concoction to ignite a struggling sport.
Change and innovation is obviously necessary for the game to develop. However, in context, these proposals amount to hurried attempts to paper over rather cavernous cracks.
Is this captain’s powerplay or ill-conceived cup competition really going to be the remedy to the structural problems rugby faces? Absolutely not. It’s insulting and feels like a contrived political diversionary tactic, particularly given that the RFU’s consultation with Championship clubs on this competition has been reported to be totally non-existent.
This is a case in point of the RFU’s approach, one that professes to act in the interests of the game yet fails to turn a mirror up to itself.
The RFU, as the sport in general, is Bambi-like in its endeavours to walk before it can run, throwing out new laws and iterations in fraught determination to commercialise and grow. But what happened to RugbyX? Where is the World 12s?
Ultimately, the reason this is all so frustrating is that, on the pitch, the game is in many ways in such a strong place.
The women’s game is currently riding an incredible wave of momentum. The Red Roses fell just short of World Cup triumph in November, but their 30 consecutive wins on the road to the final set a new world record that will almost certainly never be broken.
Domestically this season’s Gallagher Premiership, for all its troubles off the pitch, has been one the most exciting in years with tries scored for fun and games going right to the death.
And yet, taking in the full picture, it feels like there’s no anchor to rugby in England right now, fans forced to ebb between the joy on the pitch and the despair off it.
Sport derives its appeal as a still point of a turning world. The RFU is a ship lost at sea, directionless as the game cries out for leadership.
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